Translation guide
The English word "abyss" refers to a deep, seemingly bottomless chasm, or metaphorically to a profound situation or state. In Japanese, different words capture the physical, metaphorical, and emotional nuances.
A deep, immeasurable space, gulf, or cavity in the earth or sea.
The most direct and common translation for a physical abyss. It can also be used metaphorically. Often used in literary or formal contexts.
They peered into the abyss.
Originally meaning hell or the underworld, it is often used for a bottomless pit or abyss, especially in dramatic or figurative contexts. Can imply a fall from which there is no return.
He fell into the abyss.
Means a deep pool or abyss in a river or sea. More specific to water and less commonly used for a general abyss.
That river has a deep abyss.
A profound situation of despair, chaos, or an unbridgeable gap.
Also used metaphorically for a deep, dark state like despair or moral decay. Common in phrases like 深淵をのぞく (to gaze into the abyss).
To sink into the abyss of despair.
Emphasizes a hellish, hopeless abyss. Often used in expressions like 奈落の底 (the bottom of the abyss).
Means a wide gap or chasm, often used for differences in opinion, culture, or understanding. Not a physical abyss.
深淵 is the standard word for abyss, both physical and metaphorical, and is neutral in tone. 奈落 carries a stronger sense of hell, doom, or a dramatic fall, and is often used in emotional or literary contexts.
Do not use 深い穴 (deep hole) to translate 'abyss' unless you mean a literal deep hole. The concept of abyss usually requires a more nuanced word.
彼の人生は奈落の底に突き落とされた。
His life was plunged into the abyss.
両者の間には深い隔絶がある。
There is a deep abyss between the two.